Yuantan

        Yuantan, also known as Xiyue Tan (Altar of the Evening Moon), was an ancient site where the Han people worshipped the moon. As early as the Zhou Dynasty, there was a tradition for the Son of Heaven to worship the sun in spring and the moon in autumn. The only remaining Yuantan is located in the western part of Beijing. It was first built in the ninth year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1530 AD), renovated during the Qing Dynasty, and is one of the Nine Altars and Eight Temples of Beijing. It fell into disuse in the early years of the Republic of China. The commonly referred "Yuantan" denotes this site.

        Yuantan is situated on the west side of Nanlishi Road in Xicheng District, Beijing. It served as a place where emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped the Night Bright Goddess (the moon) and various celestial deities. The altar is four zhang (approximately 13 meters) square and four chi six cun (approximately 1.5 meters) high. Its surface is covered with white glazed tiles, and it has six white stone steps. There are four lattice star gates inside, with a burial pool outside the east gate, the Jufu Hall to the northeast, the Shenku (Divine Warehouse) outside the south gate, the Zaiseng Pavilion, Divine Kitchen, and Sacrificial Ware Warehouse to the southwest, and the Bell Tower and Yi Guan House outside the north gate. There are two outer heavenly gates; to the north of the east heavenly gate is the Lishen Archway. The surface of Yuantan is paved with white glazed tiles, symbolizing the white moon.

        The Ming and Qing Yuantan in Beijing is located to the west of Nanlishi Road and to the south of Yuantan North Street in today’s Xicheng District, forming Yuantan Park together with the classical-style garden to its south. Among the main structures within the altar mentioned in Ming and Qing documents, apart from the altar platform and inner altar walls having been demolished, other ancient buildings such as the bell tower, heavenly gates, Jufu Hall, and Shenku still remain.

        In 1955, it was turned into a park for public rest and recreation. After years of development, the area of Yuantan Park has expanded significantly. The entire park is divided into northern and southern sections. The North Park is characterized by its red-brick, green-tiled ancient architecture and formal pathways—it is the Ming and Qing Yuantan. The South Park is a newly developed tourist area, featuring rockeries, ponds, and meandering paths that form a natural landscape garden. Its design and construction are themed around the “moon,” and the park is named Yaoyue Yuan (Moon-Inviting Garden). In the middle of Yaoyue Yuan, there is a small courtyard complex named Tianxiang Yuan (Fragrance-from-Heaven Courtyard), inspired by the poetic line “Osmanthus petals fall from the moon, and heavenly fragrance drifts beyond the clouds.”

        On May 25, 2006, Yuantan was approved by the State Council to be included in the sixth group of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level, recognized as an ancient architectural structure from the Ming to Qing periods.

        Transportation Information: Take bus routes 13, 15, 19, 21, 42, 56, 65, Special Line 4, or 823 and get off at Yuantan Station.

　　         Beijing Xicheng District’s Yuantan is a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level.